


Mosaic

by ItsaVikingThing



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Figuring things out can be hard, Flashbacks, Fluff, How scandalous!, Humour, Modern Era, There will be some swears, and drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-08-04 22:39:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16355609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsaVikingThing/pseuds/ItsaVikingThing
Summary: Asami and Korra were close friends in college until something happened that shattered their bond. Years later, Asami is now the CEO of Future Industries and Korra has become a globetrotting charity worker.They're both resigned to the idea that they'll never see each other again.And then their friend Opal Beifong decides to get married. And she also decides it's time two of her best friends try to work through their issues, so she's going to get them both to her wedding, no matter what.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I had some downtime last week and no internet access and this happened...

Asami Sato stares at the square of cream cardboard in her hands, thinking about time.

Usually Asami's thoughts tend towards how minutely she can slice pieces of her future so that her time is being used as efficiently as possible. Being the CEO of one of the biggest engineering companies in the world, every day presents Asami with an array of things she _needs_ to do, and rarely enough time to do them in. Working out her schedule so that she can get as much done as possible is a feat of precision engineering in its own right.

One thing that Asami rarely does is think about the past. The past is full of traps for the unwary, after all. Good memories can become so entangled with the bad that trying to separate them out is more effort than Asami has the energy to waste on.

But while time is aggressively linear in its procession--at least as far as people's awareness of it is concerned--people don't tend to be so simple. They carry lost pockets of time inside them, and, as Asami has just discovered, the past is incredibly volatile. The right spark can start a chain reaction, making _right now_ very suddenly become _back then_.

Right now, Asami is holding an invitation to Opal Beifong's wedding. Back then, Opal and Asami were very close friends. They're still friends, of course, but time and distance both have weakened their bond. So much so that Opal's imepending nuptials have come as something of a shock to Asami. When Asami first got to know her, Opal had been a shy girl who had never been on a date. And now...

Asami stares at the date on the card. Her schedule has some give in it, but getting away from the city for an entire weekend seems impossible any time in the next eight months. Opal's wedding is six months away. It's that simple. But instead of moving on, or drafting a regretful letter to Opal and arranging a present, or even looking at her schedule to see if anything can be done, Asami just stares at the gold leaf spelling out Opal and Bolin's names.

She stares at their names and tries not to think about the other names of her friends from back then. There's too much mess associated with some of those names, one in particular, and Asami is almost as grateful as she is guilty that attending Opal's wedding in Opal's hometown will likely be impossible.

But the past can catch up with people in all sorts of ways, and trying to avoid thinking about her college days suddenly makes a voice in Asami's mind whisper: _Impossible is just a fancy way of saying you're chicken._

Asami closes her eyes, but that's worse, because she can _see_ the face that belongs with the voice: a pair of wide blue eyes and a crooked grin, and smooth brown skin framed by long, messy brown hair. A jumble of memories threaten to overwhelm her. So many of them are good, but she hasn't always been able to separate them from the ones that are so very bad.

Asami's eyes snap open. She tosses the cardboard square aside, hisses out an angry breath, and decides to skip over the rest of her mail. It's time she was moving on to the next thing on her schedule.

* * *

It's nine years ago. Asami's late.

College was supposed to be a fresh start, a different experience than high school, but it's already her second year and Asami has made so many of the same choices. Well...mistakes.

Asami has always been a conscientious student. She's always excelled academically, and while college has challenged her, it hasn't pushed her out of her comfort zone. Maybe because studying _is_ her comfort zone. Making new friends, being sociable, trying fun new experiences that aren't connected to her studies...Asami is good at none of these things.

So maybe her first year at college passed more quickly than Asami was prepared for, and maybe she didn't quite manage the fresh start she was hoping for, and maybe she's blown off so many offers to hang out that she never quite managed to make many friends, but today will hopefully change things for the better.

Today, Opal is starting at Republic City University as a freshman. And if Asami is going to live up to her promise to show Opal around, she'll need to force herself to learn how to do all the things she's never worked out how to do in the past nineteen years of Asami's existence.

Maybe the terror that that thought induces in her is why Asami is late. She was working on an extra credit project, and got so absorbed she lost all sense of how much of the morning had got away from her. Luckily, Opal Beifong is a forgiving sort of girl.

Asami spots Opal through the window of the café near campus where they said they'd meet up. She catches Opal's eye, waves, strides quickly to the edge of the sidewalk so she can cross the street, and promptly collides with another pedestrian.

The first shock of impact with another body completely overloads Asami's senses. She's aware of pain, of the breath blasted out of lungs, of her sense of what is up and what is falling down becoming hopelessly confused. And then some synapses realign themselves in Asami's brain and she realises that she _is_ falling. And then, abruptly she isn't.

Asami doesn't fall because the stranger who just crashed into her side has splayed her legs out, wrapped her arms around Asami and, in an impressive feat of balance and an even more impressive display of core strength, kept both of them upright.

Asami gapes at the girl who is clinging to her. From what she can see from her limited perspective, the girl is a couple of inches shorter than Asami. She has huge blue eyes, smooth brown skin, brown hair. She smells not unpleasantly of sweat and faintly of citrus. There's a muscular solidity to her, for all that she is also very soft and very warm.

The girl steps back, releasing Asami, who turns towards her, smiling apologetically. "Sorry, I--"

"You okay?"

Asami tucks a strand of her long black hair behind her ear, still smiling bashfully. "Ah, other than my pride, I'm fine. Are you--"

"Yeah, good. No thanks to you. So how about you watch where the _fuck_ you're going in future?"

The girl doesn't raise her voice. She doesn't need to. The intensity of her anger is more than enough to quell any sharp response Asami might normally make. Asami stiffens, but all she manages to say is a weak, "Excuse me?"

The girl snorts, shakes her head, and steps around Asami. She takes off down the street at a jog without looking back. Asami notices she's wearing an RCU t-shirt and matching shorts. Asami groans, fervently hoping that she doesn't enounter that girl again on campus.

Asami takes a moment to recover her poise, if not her dignity, then she carefully crosses the street and joins Opal. Asami laughs the whole incident off for Opal's sake, and before long their conversation turns to their plans for the future and Asami is eventually able to convince herself that she's forgotten the whole incident.

* * *

Asami makes it as far as lunchtime before guilt makes her call Opal. 

"Asami? Oh em gee! It is _so_ good to hear your voice!" The delight in Opal's voice when she answers only makes Asami feel worse. "I knew you'd R because I said SVP, but I didn't expect a call so soon! How are things?"

"It's good to hear your voice, too." Asami doesn't entirely have to fake the smile she puts into her voice. "And things are busy! But...productive."

"Yup, that sounds like a business where you produce things alright. Very informative, glad we could catch up!"

Asami laughs. "Do you actually want a breakdown of the proposal for sourcing new supply chains for parts we need to make fuel injectors? Because that's the report I'm skimming while I make this call."

"...have mercy on me this one time?"

" _Any_ time. I'd much rather be _building_ fuel injectors than reading this stuff anyway. And I'd much rather congratulate you on your engagement than tinker with an engine."

"Asami! That's...that's the nicest lie you've ever told me!"

"It's not a lie!" Asami hesitates, then sighs, and sinks back into her chair. "It's a tiny white lie? I haven't been near an engine in months and I miss it. I miss you more, though."

She expects Opal to laugh, or return the sentiment, but Opal gets very quiet on the other end of the line. Before Asami can figure out how to break the silence, Opal says, "How...how, uh, likely is it that you'll make the wedding, do you think?"

Asami winces and her shoulders tense again. "Ah...my time is not really my own anymore, Opal."

"Yeah, I had a feeling you were calling to let me down gently." There's no accusation in Opal's voice, but she sounds serious, contemplative. "But I could maybe come visit you sometime? I'd like to see you, Asami. It's been too long."

It _has_ been too long since Asami has seen Opal. It also hasn't been anywhere near long enough for Asami to feel like they can navigate a whole conversation without getting into dangerous territory.

 _Chicken_ , husks the voice of a ghost in the back of Asami's mind.

She clears her throat. "I...I do want to come to the wedding."

"You do?" Opal sounds startled. "I mean, I know you _want_ to, but if you can't--"

"I'll figure something out. Pull some strings with the CEO."

Opal chuckles. "Yeah, you should definitely do that! That jerk must owe you a few holidays by now."

"Well, you've finally given me an excuse to let myself take one." Asami takes a careful breath. Her knuckles whiten around her phone. "I, uh, guess Mako will be best man?"

"Bolin _did_ start an online campaign asking The Boulder to do it, buuuut..."

Asami almost smiles. "You're stuck with Mako?"

"We are. Which is one of many reasons why I'm going to need you to be by my side throughout this ordeal!"

"Even at his worst, Mako's not _that_ bad." Asami almost laughs. She takes a deep breath, trying to quell the butterflies rampaging through her stomach. She tries to find a way to ask the question she most needs an answer to. "Have you...uh, picked your maid of honour?"

There's a long, long pause during which Asami's heart begins to hammer like it's pounding nails into a coffin. At length Opal says, "Oh, Asami...I still don't know exactly what happened between you guys, but--"

"N-no, I...nothing happened, Opal." Which is both true--inasmuch as nothing happening was a very large part of what went wrong between Korra and Asami--and utterly dishonest. _So many things_ happened, so many tiny, almost meaningless things that mounted up until their bond was crushed beneath the weight of them all. Asami swallows and tries to level out her voice. "It's not like I'm holding some kind of grudge, Opal. I just wondered if...she was coming."

Opal sighs. "I'd love it if she could be there, but I didn't know where to send an invite. I've seen less of Korra than I have of you, Asami. She's...off having adventures, I, uh, I guess."

It seems likely that Opal almost said _hope_ instead of _guess_.

"Oh." Asami closes her eyes against the sudden sting of tears. She has no idea what she was hoping for, but it turns out that it wasn't this. "I just...I wasn't sure...well."

After a pause that feels longer than their whole conversation so far, Opal says, "I guess that means the number one spot's free, huh?"

It takes Asami way too long to get it, but when she does she can't help but gasp. "Opal, are you...sure? I--"

"Yeah. I mean, if you're sure you can make it! I kinda need my maid of honour to show up, so..."

Asami chuckles weakly. "I'll be there. I promise."

Opal makes a sound that might be a sigh, or might be the beginning of a sentence she immediately thought it best to leave unsaid. Instead of whatever that might have been, she says, "I'm coming to see you. I need to come to Republic City anyway, and now you're my maid of honour, honour dictates you put up with me for at least one night next month."

Asami takes a steadying breath. "In that case, I intend to be a very honourable maid. I'll put up with you and even pretend I'm enjoying myself."

"Careful! I could always demote you to bridesmaid!"

"Ouch. Let me take a look at my calendar and I'll send you some dates?"

"Sounds good! Now, I've held you back from work long enough. I think I can hear Future Industries' stock price dropping..."

"That's probably just hypertension making you hear things. Weddings can be stressful."

"Keep this sort of talk up and you'll be lucky if I let you be an usher, Ms Sato."

"I'll behave," Asami says, summoning a laugh. "I'm looking forward to seeing you, Opal."

"Yeah. I'm really glad you called, Asami. Love you!"

Asami hangs up. She drops her phone on her desk and buries her face in her palms.

Korra isn't coming to the wedding. It means that it's safe for Asami to go. It should be a relief, knowing that she and Korra won't have to pretend that they can fit the jagged ends of their broken friendship together, even for a weekend. Even for Opal and Bolin's sake.

It should be a relief, not having to deal with Korra, but it isn't. Instead, the hollow ache Asami has spent years trying to bury yawns wide open within her and she is forced to confront the truth: that it's too late to make amends.

Asami will have to learn to live with the fact that she will never see Korra again.

* * *

It's eight years ago. It's late.

Exactly how late is perhaps calcuable by counting up all the empty glasses on the table in front of Asami, multiplying them by the estimated drinking time of each beverage and dividing them by the number of drinkers. She's...pretty sure. Emptying that many glasses has somewhat impaired her powers of analysis.

Not that she emptied them _all_ by herself. Other people helped, though most of them are gone now. Only Asami and Korra are left. Asami can't quite remember who left when, except that Mako left first because he always does. Which is making her calculations much harder, which means there's almost no way to know how late it is, and until she knows _that_ , Asami can't know when it will be time to go home.

So she should probably just stay out until Korra wants to leave. Tomorrow is...probably Sunday. Neither of them have anything important to do, Asami is _fairly_ sure. So how late it is doesn't really matter, which is good because Asami isn't getting far in her calculations.

Of course, there _is_ a clock on the wall of the bar behind Asami, but looking at it would be _cheating_. And, anyway, turning round to face the clock sounds too complicated in Asami's current condition. Math is much simpler. Math is always simpler. Like how five people and many drinks have been reduced to many empty glasses and two girls, divided by one table.

On the other side of the booth they're sharing, Korra props her elbows on the deglazed surface of what once might have been proudly varnished fake wood. Korra leans forward, vinyl creaking as her weight shifts on the worn bench seat. "You still with me, Sato?"

Asami immediately frowns. "I wish you wouldn' call me that. I'm A-sa-mi."

"I know it. But I'm trying to figure out how far gone you are, so I needed to, uh...provoke a response."

"I'm fine! I'm a li'l busy calculing is all," Asami says, nodding sagely. "It's a tricky problem. Need to focus."

Korra chuckles. "Well, don't mind me! I'll give you a minute to, uh, calculate while I go back to the bar."

Korra slides out of the booth, swaying only slightly. Asami makes a desperate grab at the sleeve of Korra's faded blue hoodie. She blurts, "Please-no-more-drink-think-I'll-die."

"Yeah, that's my expert medical opinion, too, which is why--"

"Nooo, don't make me go home, Korra. I have the worst roommate. They _suck_."

"You have your own apartment, Sato. You don't have a roommate."

"Oh. Yeah. But...but, that means my roommate is _loneliness_. Do you want me to be lonely?"

"No, we can't have that." Korra winks at Asami. "Which is why I'm just going to get you some water, drama queen."

"Oh." Asami blinks. "Right. So, we're staying? Good. That's cool."

"Yeah, we can stay a bit longer." Korra hesitates. "Hey."

"Hmm?"

"Maybe we should...I mean, maybe you should get a roommate? If you're lonely."

Asami blinks. "I'm not lonely," she lies automatically. She hesitates, and makes the mistake of meeting Korra's wide blue eyes. Some honesty leaks out in response to the warmth in Korra's expression. "I just...maybe sometimes, but...isn't everyone?"

Korra considers her with all the grave solemnity of the somewhat drunk for the truly inebriated. "Well...call me next time."

"I..."

"If you're lonely, you can call me. I know we're not the closest, but I think we can handle being skype buddies or whatever." Korra looks away for a second. She looks back, a smirk edging onto her lips. "But right now...I'm gonna need my arm back. That okay, Sato?"

"Huh?" Asami blinks and focuses on her hand, which is still clutching Korra's sleeve. She considers letting go. She considers what Korra just said, and while Asami is embarrassed at her admission, she's...grateful for Korra's offer. Asami does not let go of Korra's arm. She says, "No, wait. I don't, for the record."

Korra laughs. "You don't...need my arm? Then let go!"

"No, no! What you said earlier? I don't...mind you." Asami leans closer to Korra, clamping her free hand on the surface of the table to prevent herself from falling out of the booth. Asami lowers her voice to a conspiritorial stage whisper. "I don't mind you, Korra. You don't...uh, even when y'call me Sato, I don't mind. Well, I _do_ , because I'm not my dad, but...I mind less. When it's you. I guess. Ah, what I mean is...never mind."

"I'm honoured that you don't mind me much, Sato. That's such high praise!" Korra stares down at her, a smile on her lips. She gently places a hand on Asami's shoulder and eases her back into a safe, more-or-less upright position in the booth. "Just sit tight, okay? And no talking to strangers while I'm gone."

Asami scoffs. "I'm drunk, not _twelve_!"

It makes Korra laugh again, and that makes Asami have to hide a grin, because even though Korra knows that Asami's only pretending to be cross, they always perform for each other. It's an unspoken, unwritten rule of their friendship, and of all the unspoken, unwritten rules that form the boundaries of Asami's life, it's the only one that makes her feel more sure of herself. Performing for Korra is one of the few things in Asami's life that makes her feel _true_ to herself.

"Yeah, that's very comforting," Korra says, grinning. "Knowing how in control of yourself you are."

"I am always in complete control, Korra. Completely in, uh...complete control. Of myself. 'specially right now."

"Oh, yeah?" Korra's grin fades and her eyes search Asami's face. She leans down, close to Asami. Korra gets so close Asami can feel the heat of Korra's cheek against hers, though their skin doesn't quite touch. Korra whispers, "So why are you still holding onto me?"

Asami realises that at some point in their exchange she's transferred her grip from Korra's sleeve to Korra's wrist. All at once it feels like her fingers are _burning_ , but she somehow can't let go.

Korra leans back a little, her grin reappearing. "C'mon. I need my arm. I use it for things. All kinds of things. And sometimes I forget to wash my hands, so..."

Asami rolls her eyes and huffs in feigned offence. Her fingers open at last. "Yeah, yeah. Go on, go. You're, uh, holding back all the strangers who wanna talk t'me anyway. I'm gonna talk to so many strangers Korra, and they're all gonna be nicer to me than you are. So don't feel like you have to hurry back."

Korra shakes her head, smiling fondly. "Ooookay, I'm going to pour some water into you and then I think we're going to have to pour you into a cab. I'll be back _very_ soon."

Asami waves regally in dismissal, allowing herself a grin when Korra laughs again. Asami only resists the sudden, inexplicable urge to watch Korra walk to the bar because it would involve turning round. Asami definitely isn't ready for anything that complicated.

She returns to the task of calculating the time, content in the knowledge that it doesn't really matter, because Korra will be back soon.

* * *

" _The number you have dialled has not been recognised._."

With a sigh, Opal Beifong hangs up her phone. She sits back in her sofa in the home she shares with Bolin, chewing on her lip and chewing over her conversation with Asami. Opal has known Asami since they were kids in summer camp. In spite of being a year younger than Asami, they not only became friends, then best friends, they somehow _stayed_ friends all the way through college and beyond.

But life and the pursuit of their different careers have meant that she and Asami haven't had many opportunities to get together in the last couple of years. Opal thinks that might be why she hadn't realised that Asami isn't just tired and stressed from her insane workload, she's _hurting_ , too. She's apparently been hurting for years.

Neither Korra nor Asami ever gave anyone the whole truth of what went down between them, of what made them stop talking to and about each other. And each in their own way ended up pulling away from Opal and the rest of their gang after college. Asami threw herself into work after she unexpectedly inherited her father's company. And Korra...well, she used to call, and then she used to email, and then she'd send postcards to Opal, from all over the globe, but there hasn't been any contact whatsoever in over a year. Opal wonders if Korra's happy wherever she is. Or if she still thinks about whatever happened between her and Asami years ago.

Opal had operated on the basis that if either of her friends wanted to unburden themselves, they would when they're ready. She realises now how stupid, maybe even reckless, that was. Korra is one of the most stubborn people she's ever known and Asami could teach a masterclass in avoidance. It shouldn't have taken Opal this long to realise that the two of them would never be able to confront their issues without assistance.

Still...it has been years. Maybe the right thing to do is to let things lie. Maybe the smart thing to do is not to add unnecessary complications to a wedding that will already be a breeding ground of fresh resentment birthed from old feuds between several members of Opal's family alone.

But, on the other hand, can Opal really let a chance to help two of the people she loves most in the world go by without taking action?

Opal picks up her phone and calls the second person on her contact list. She holds her breath until the other person picks up and grunts into their receiver. In a rush of air Opal says, "Hey, Auntie Lin! I...need a favour from the best police captain I know who is also my beloved aunt! I'm, ah, hoping you can help me track down an old friend..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Um...I have other bits of this written, but I don't have a proper chapter two yet. I am also writing a lot of other things so I can't say when you'll see more. When I get a chance, I guess!


	2. Chapter 2

Korra is in the Fire Nation archipelago, on a speck of an island so small that it doesn't show up on most maps. She's sitting on a low plastic stool on the street outside the only place that sells tea in the only village on the island, drinking black tea sweetened with condensed milk. It has become as much a morning ritual for her as it is for the people who live here and who crowd the shack where the tea is brewed.

Those kinds of rituals are something that Korra picks up almost as easily as she leaves them behind.

Korra is pretty sure that she'll be leaving this place behind soon. Things were pretty bad when Korra came here as part of a White Lotus Foundation relief team after a malaria outbreak. A lot of people were sick, resources were scarce, and transportation to and from larger, more developed islands was tough to arrange. Technically, solving the problems of transport and supplies was Korra's job. Dealing with the outbreak and putting measures in place to prevent another one was on the rest of the team. But in reality things are always a little messier, a little less well-defined in the field. As the chief logistician on the team, Korra's work involves solving _any_ problem that would prevent the doctors and engineers from doing their jobs. She has enough medical training to get hands on in an emergency, enough practical know-how to assist in projects like, say, digging a well, and she's as far as possible from the PR side of things to allow her a certain amount of latitude in the way she solves problems that fall into grey areas legally.

It's a role that Korra's grown to love, not least of all because it always keeps her moving.

Things are winding down in this village without a name on a nameless island, so it likely won't be long before Korra and her team leader, Tenzin, are off elsewhere. It's something of a relief: Korra's feet are getting itchy. The next thing is beckoning, and while Korra has no idea what that thing might turn out to be, an unfortunate fact of the world they live in is that there is always a crisis somewhere. There are always people who need help.

One of the nice things about her job is getting to moments like this, though, when the crisis passes and people start working towards a better future, not with hope but with certainty. Korra doesn't need to be around after that point. She doesn't have much to offer anyone when life is normal, after all.

Korra sips her too sweet, too hot tea and grins. The day is warm, people look happy, and soon she'll be somewhere new. Life is good. Korra glances round at the sound of brisk footsteps and smiles. "Hey, boss man! I was just thinking about you."

Tenzin slows his impatient stride and nods at her, but he doesn't smile back. That's not unusual, though. Tenzin is Korra's team leader. He's a tall, spare man: physically lean and mentally focused on meeting the crises he faces each day. He's conservative in the way he dresses, cautious in expressing personal opinions, and frugal with any emotion that isn't exasperation. For the most part, Tenzin is calm and steady. Korra has only seen him get truly angry a few times--always on behalf of someone else--but Korra's glad she's mostly managed to stay on the man's good side.

"Korra," Tenzin greets her, his voice mild. "Would you mind if I joined you for a few minutes?"

"Of course not!" Korra hooks a nearby stool with her foot and drags it over for him. For all that Tenzin isn't big on displays of emotion, he isn't a cold or distant man, just disciplined. Korra wasn't sure how to take him at first, but over the years she's known him he's proven to be a good leader, a great mentor, and one of the few people Korra can still consider a friend. "Anything you need? Or is there news?"

"Nothing unexpected." Tenzin lowers himself onto the stool with a small sigh. Even that much indication that he's tired is more than he would have let slip around Korra a few years ago, when they first started working together. "The outbreak has officially been contained, the treatment centre has care of the remaining patients in hand, and the new well should help prevent anything similar in the near future."

Korra nods. "Good. So...we're moving on?"

Tenzin pauses, running a hand over his bald scalp. "Yes. By the end of the week."

"Where to? Somewhere else in the Fire Nation, or are we going to the Earth Kingdom? Are we in danger of being near decent coffee soon?"

Tenzin purses his lips, considering Korra carefully while she gulps down some tea and tries to fight off a sudden feeling of unease. "Korra...I think it's time to go home."

"Oh." Korra blinks. "Okay. I...guess it's been a while since we took a break."

"It's been six months, Korra," Tenzin says, resting his elbows on his knees and steepling his fingers. "I have children who've been wondering where their father is."

Korra stares at him, her heart beginning to thud. "...you're not talking about taking a week or two off, are you?"

He shakes his head. "I'm planning on taking considerably longer than that." He smiles at her. "Pema is expecting our fourth."

Korra's stomach drops but she forces herself to smile. "You kept that quiet! Congratulations, Tenzin."

"Thank you."

"So I guess this is the end of our team for a while, huh?"

Tenzin nods, but his smile widens. "Yes, Korra. But if I ever convince Pema to let me go running off all over the world again, I assure you, you'll be the first person I call. I can't imagine ever building a new team without you."

Korra makes a bad job of hiding her shock at that statement. She can feel herself blushing, and a warm feeling fills the pit in her stomach to overflowing. "I...thank you. It's been quite a ride, huh?"

"That it has." Tenzin chuckles. "I'm not sure I'll ever understand how you convinced those bandits outside Huai Shan not only to let us go, but to provide us with an escort to the village."

"Ah, well..." Korra rubs the back of her neck. "Would you believe I beat the bandit leader in an arm wrestling contest?"

"Yes," Tenzin says, after a moment's consideration. "But I would not believe that was the whole story."

Korra winces. "Ha. Yeah, no. I had to, uh, cut a deal for--"

Tenzin holds up a hand. "I think that, both for reasons of plausible deniability and for the sake of my being able to sleep at night, I would prefer to remain in the dark."

"That might be best, yeah!" There's a moment of quiet between them, with each of them wrapped up in their own thoughts. At length, Korra stirs herself and asks the most pressing question. "So...what happens to the team?"

"Hm?" Tenzin focuses on her. "Oh! I think everyone will be going their separate ways for now."

"Right." Korra bites her lip. "So, uh, is there anyone you'd recommend I reach out to?"

Tenzin's only response is to frown at her.

"Y'know, because I'm gonna need a new team...?" Korra mutters into the strained silence.

"Korra..." Tenzin sighs. "Do you want my recommendation?"

"Yeah...?"

"Go home."

It feels like someone's yanked the stool out from under Korra, pitching her on her ass. "What?"

Tenzin meets her eyes, his gaze intent. "Go home," he says firmly. "You can't do this forever."

"You've been doing it a lot longer than I have," Korra says, trying to keep her tone even.

"I have. But I also started volunteering when I was older than you. I built a life for myself first, and when I started with the White Lotus Foundation I promised Pema that I would maintain a balance as best I could. I had the needs of my practice to consider, too, in the years before I was able to take on a more administrative role."

"I'm not a doctor. I don't have a practice." Korra grips the sides of her stool, squeezing the hard plastic until her fingers hurt. "I don't have a partner. I don't have much reason to go back, Tenzin."

"You have parents who miss you, if no one else. And if there is no one else...well, I find it hard to imagine that you have _no_ friends back home." Tenzin pauses, weighing his words. "You also have the option to resume your studies and _become_ a doctor. I've seen what you can do, in less than ideal circumstances. You're more than capable enough, if that was what you wanted to do. And if you need a letter of recommendation, I would be only too glad to write you one."

"That isn't what I want," Korra protests. "I'm _doing_ what I want to do! Finding solutions to problems, getting life saving equipment and personnel where they need to be...that's more worthwhile than anything I could do back home!"

"Your own life and happiness have worth, Korra. Don't diminish them, or what you might achieve in another setting."

"What do you...?" Korra grits her teeth. She snaps, "I'm happy!"

"I wish I could say that I believed you. But I see how restless you get when you've been in one place for any length of time. Can you honestly tell me that your eagerness to move on to the next job is based only on your desire to help others?"

Korra opens her mouth to protest, but under Tenzin's steady, piercing scrutiny, every objection she can think of seems too feeble to utter.

"You are a fine young woman, Korra. But the way you have been living is unhealthy." Tenzin shakes his head. "You could find work in the Foundation for some time, perhaps for the rest of your working life, if you were willing to give up on fieldwork. But then what? There is more to life than work, Korra. And quite frankly, if you carry on at this rate, I'm concerned that you'll burn yourself out within a year or two. I find it a very troubling sign that even the prospect of taking a break is making you this anxious."

There's not much of an argument that Korra can make against that when she's struggling to breathe evenly. "What happened to me being the first person you'd call?"

"In a few years, Korra. When you've taken some time for yourself, to make something _permanent_ for yourself." Tenzin runs his hand over his scalp, frowning. "I'd like to be sure that if I ask you to be part of a team again, you'll be in a position where you'll want to refuse."

"That doesn't make sense!"

"It makes perfect sense, Korra. You simply aren't in a place to understand it. And that is what worries me." Tenzin stands up. "I have a call to make. Take the day to think about what you want to do when you go back. I'm recommending that you take at least six months out, Korra."

Korra grits her teeth. "I'm not going to--"

Tenzin raises his eyebrows. "That will be my recommendation to the Foundation, Korra. I am responsible for your well being, and I cannot in good conscience let you continue down this path." When Korra's only response is to stare sullenly at her feet, Tenzin surprises her by placing a hand on her shoulder. "I would be surprised if you weren't angry just now. But please know that even if you don't feel like taking my calls in the future, I will always take yours. Trust me, Korra. It's time to go home."

He pats her shoulder and walks away without another word.

* * *

It's two years ago. It's time to board the plane.

Korra abandons what's left of her coffee and hops off her stool at the tiny airport café. She stretches, yawns, then leaves, avoiding the eye of the overly friendly barista. Korra doesn't have time to make friends. Like everywhere else she's been of late, Korra is just passing through.

Korra's on her way to the Fire Nation, part of a forward team for the emergency relief charity she volunteers for. Recent storms have caused a lot of damage on some of the smaller islands of the Fire Nation archipelago and they need bodies on the ground as badly as Korra needs out of the United Republic of Nations. 

Halfway to the security checkpoint, Korra sees Asami Sato walking in the opposite direction, wheeling a small red suitcase. Korra doesn't stop, she just keeps walking, watching Asami as she gets closer and closer. 

It's the first time Korra has seen her in years, since their fight, since it all went wrong. But there's no mistaking the crashing black waves of her hair, the jut of her cheekbones, the gentle curves of her body, the way her makeup accentuates her smooth, pale skin--and Korra wishes she didn't know how soft Asami's skin feels, or how good she smells--her red, red lips, or her piercing green eyes, which are fixed on a point in the distance.

Asami doesn't look at Korra. Korra passes her by without saying a word. In the moment she feels nothing. Korra is not even aware of having made a decision. Instead, she calmly tells herself that she merely followed the dictates of the circumstances. If Asami had seen her, then Korra would have stopped and would have said...what? What could Korra say? Asami had always been the one to build bridges across the gaps Korra created between them. And Korra can't expect Asami to want to do that anymore, not when Korra severed the last strands that connected them and allowed years of silence to push them ever further apart.

So really, it doesn't matter that Korra says nothing when Asami passes her without seeing her, because nothing Korra could say would ever be enough. Calmly, Korra walks on without looking back and without feeling any strong emotion about leaving Asami behind. She left Asami a long time ago, after all. Korra is slightly surprised at how little she feels in the moment, but that's _all_ she feels.

Ten minutes later and much too late, regret hits Korra hard enough to make her gasp in pain. Panic seizes her, but she's already in the queue for security, and if she goes back, she'll miss her flight. If she goes back, Asami will likely already be gone. Korra tells herself that she can only go forward. Korra tells herself that it's all she has left.

* * *

Around lunch time, Korra has found her way to the village's only bar and is drinking lukewarm beer and idly petting a lemon-coloured street cat that has taken up residence in her lap.

Korra was born in the South Pole, the homeland of the Southern Water Tribe, but circumstances dictated that Korra's family had to move after her father's political career was sabotaged. They left when Korra was still a kid, so Korra has little more than curiosity with a cracked veneer of nostalgia pulling her in the direction of the South Pole. No, going...home means Republic City, a place Korra has avoided for years. For one thing, her parents are there and the memory of their fight when Korra dropped out of med school is vivid enough to stimulate her adrenal glands even now. The other thing is...Asami Sato is there.

Korra drains her beer and gestures for another.

Realistically, there isn't much danger of Korra ever seeing Asami again. Asami took on the role of CEO of Future Industries and seems to be flourishing. Asami Sato exists now in a bracket of society that Korra will never enter. Asami Sato doesn't hang out in the kinds of bars that Korra does. Not anymore. No, it's all restaurants and cocktail lounges with clientele rather than customers. Mover stars, professional athletes, the insultingly rich, and the business elite are the kind of company Asami Sato keeps these days. Not that Korra's been keeping tabs on her, of course. Given Asami's high profile, it's taken effort to be aware of her as little as Korra is given how often Asami's image appears on screens and in magazines. And while it's unlikely that Korra will ever run into Asami if she goes back to Republic City for six months, or even sixty, Korra will be walking back into a world in which there will be daily reminders of Asami Sato's existence. 

"That sounds like a bad idea, huh?" Korra asks the purring cat. The cat blinks sleepily at her and rubs her head against Korra's hand. "Yeah. It does, doesn't it? So. Got any better ideas?"

If the cat does, she doesn't share them. Korra decides not to hold that against her and continues to pet her while she sips her beer.

There isn't much good that can come of calling her parents. Not before Korra has somewhere to live lined up, at least. She can't imagine sharing a roof with them again; living with them, even if she paid them rent, would make them think they were entitled to make decisions in her life again. Korra can't go back to that. She considers reaching out to some of her other friends, but her options aren't great. Opal and Bolin are in Zaofu, and Zaofu is a nice enough place, but Kuvira is in Zaofu. Korra doesn't feel strong anger towards her any more, she simply has no desire to see Kuvira ever again. Besides, Zaofu is expensive. Korra's going to need a job sooner or later, but in Zaofu, it'll definitely be sooner. Dealing with Opal and Bolin and Kuvira while trying to find work sounds like way too much pressure. Especially when the one person most likely to be in touch with Asami out of all the old gang is Opal. That makes crashing on Opal's couch while Korra finds her feet a _very_ unappealing idea.

It makes Korra feel guilty, though. She _misses_ Opal. There was a time when Korra would have done almost anything for Opal Beifong, and it hurts to realise that she's let Opal down pretty badly by slipping out of contact. But getting in touch with Opal will have to wait until Korra is in a more stable position, she decides. Opal will have questions, and Korra's going to need to have satisfying answers for her when the time comes. Korra takes another sip of beer and makes the mistake of meeting her own guilty expression in the cracked screen of the broken TV behind the bar. She tries to remember the last time she got in touch with Opal, with anyone, really, and realises that she can't. It's beyond frustrating to realise quite how right Tenzin was. Korra groans. She has to go back to Republic City. It's her only real option. Which means there's only really one person she can call.

"Mako," Korra murmurs as she scratches under the cat's chin. "I'm going to have to call Mako. That's gonna be fun. But at least he'll only yell at me for disappearing. He probably won't ask about..." Korra clenches her teeth. "About...Asami. Not right away."

Korra closes her eyes, hating herself for how hard it is to say that name and for how easy it is to remember every single moment they shared, even now.

* * *

It's eight years ago. It's the wrong side of morning.

"Are you sure this is okay?" Korra whispers, for maybe the twelfth time. "I can walk to the dorms--"

"No you can't, because it's a mile away and it's late and that would be crazy," Asami replies, speaking almost as softly. "And also because, _yes_ you can spend the night. Or, uh, morning..."

It was Mako who had roped the five of them into a study session, Asami who had suggested dinner afterwards, Bolin who had suggested drinks after dinner, Opal who had insisted on dancing, and Korra and Asami who ended up being the responsible ones, if only because Mako wasn't around, because Mako always leaves first. So, after getting Bolin into a cab, Korra is now supporting a very drunk Opal while Asami lets them into her apartment.

It's the first time Korra's been inside Asami's place. It's smaller than Korra expected, but neat and surprisingly cosy. There are framed movie posters on the walls of the hall and a carpet on the floor with pile so deep Korra thinks if she lay down she would sink into it and vanish from view. There's a similar carpet in the living room, some very modern-looking paintings on the walls, and a very comfortable-looking couch positioned in front of a very large TV.

Korra grins at Asami. "Why haven't we done movie nights here yet?"

Asami, busy turning on lamps, pauses to raise her eyebrow at Korra. "Because...we don't do movie nights at all?"

"Have you seen your TV? We should do movie nights!"

Asami chuckles. "Noted. Let me just get some blankets and pillows. You okay getting her onto the couch?"

Korra nods. Asami digs into a cupboard in the corner, Korra leads a staggering Opal to the couch and deposits her on it as gently as possible. 

Opal groans, and mumbles in protest. She squints suspiciously up at Korra. "Where am I?"

Korra smiles softly. "You're safe, princess. We're at Asami's place."

"Oh! You staying?" Opal forces her eyes open so she can study Korra, so Korra gives her a nod. Opal smiles. "Thanks, Korra."

Opal flops over on the couch, snoring before her head hits the armrest.

Korra carefully eases Opal's feet out of her shoes and lifts her legs up onto the cushions. She takes a wipe out of Opal's clutch before putting the clutch on the floor beside Opal's shoes. Korra does what she can with the wipe to remove Opal's makeup without waking her up. When she's done, she finds Asami standing beside her, her arms full of soft things. Nothing she's holding is quite so soft as the smile on Asami's lips, or the look in her eyes. Embarrassed, Korra quickly relieves Asami of an armful of blankets and pillows, easing one of the latter under Opal's head and draping two of the former over Opal's body. Korra smooths the blankets over Opal's shoulder and whispers, "Sleep tight, princess."

Once that's done, Korra stands up and faces Asami. Asami is still watching her, and still smiling too softly. Korra jams her hands in her pockets and tries to smile back. "Maybe I should just go? You only have one couch."

"I have a big bed. We can share." Asami tilts her head, studying Korra. Korra really hopes she isn't blushing. "How is it that Opal gets 'princess' and I get 'Sato'?"

Korra finds a grin for Asami, pushing away all of the thoughts engendered by the nervous flutter in her belly. "Because it annoys Opal almost as much as your surname annoys you."

Something flickers under the surface of Asami's eyes, reminding Korra that there are depths to Asami, and that she rarely lets anyone see much more than a hint of those depths. Just when Korra thinks she's said the wrong thing, Asami slowly smiles. "No, you just love her. And she may grumble, but Opal loves all the nicknames you give her. Do you have a younger sister, Korra?"

"Nope. No siblings."

"Ah. Me too. Well...you make a good big sister to Opal."

Korra rubs the back of her neck, avoiding Asami's eye. She's definitely blushing at this point. "Oh, come on! I barely know you guys! Not that I don't...I mean, I'm glad we're--"

Asami puts a hand on Korra's forearm, the skin to skin contact making Korra freeze. Asami's hands are always so fascinating: the skin of her palms isn't quite rough, but it isn't as soft as might be expected from every other aspect of her appearance. Korra knows that Asami has all kinds of expensive lotions and shampoos and creams, and that she has _routines_ in which she uses them, but she's an engineer, too. Asami uses her hands to build and take apart engines and mechanisms; she has strong hands, long artistic fingers, and skin on her palms that isn't as soft as might be expected and feels all the better to Korra because of it.

"It's a compliment, Korra," Asami says softly, so softly Korra thinks she might have to lean in to hear her. But leaning in would be too dangerous. Korra has begun to discover that Asami's eyes and Asami's lips exert a powerful gravity on her. Lean in now, and Korra might not be able to stop. Asami smiles, and squeezes Korra's arm. "It's not flattery. It's the truth. You can accept it."

"Sure." Korra swallows. She stoops, breaking contact with Asami. She picks up the other pillow Asami brought and tossing it onto on armchair. She faces Asami again, smiling awkwardly. "Uh, I mean...thanks."

"You're welcome. But a word of warning?"

"Uh, okay?"

"I can think of a lot of ways to compliment you, and now I know how flustered you get...I'm going to." Asami smirks. "Without mercy."

Korra laughs, helpless to prevent the sound spilling out of her. "Merciless compliments? How will I survive? Thanks for the warning. Sato."

"Jerk!" Asami rolls her eyes, but she's still smirking. "You just had to go and spoil an otherwise heartwarming moment, didn't you?"

"Uh, you were threatening me."

"Warning. Warning's much nicer than threatening."

"Not exactly heartwarming, though..."

"I was warning about compliments! That's totally heartwarming! You can't tell me your heart wasn't warmed. By several degrees, at least."

"Whatever you say, Sato."

"I repeat: jerk."

For a long moment, they just stand there, grinning at each other. Then Opal stirs, mutters something under her breath, and wriggles around on the couch. Asami and Korra exchange a look. Asami says, "Would you like to use the bathroom first? I have a spare toothbrush you could use. And it'll give me time to find you something to sleep in."

"Uh, sure. Okay, yeah. Thanks."

Asami shows Korra to the bathroom and the spare toothbrush. Korra brushes her teeth in near silence, trying to work out if the small sounds she can hear are Asami moving around in her bedroom or simply the noises that the night makes. She tries to work out if it still even counts as night, given how close the dawn must be. But when she runs out of excuses, Korra faces herself in Asami's bathroom cabinet mirror and sighs. She spits into the sink, then switches on the faucet. While the water is running, washing the foam away from the porcelain and the sound of Korra's voice from the world around her, she whispers, "Asami is dating Mako. Asami is your friend. That's all she'll ever be. Deal with it."

The Korra in the mirror nods firmly, looking determined. The Korra in front of the mirror thinks that the Korra in the mirror is a bad liar.

* * *

Mako grunts, jerking awake and fumbling around him for the source of the disturbance. He finds his phone wedged between two cushions on his sofa. He grunts again, checks the caller ID to find a number he doesn't recognise and grunts one last time before he answers. "Mako, RCPD. Who am I speaking to?"

"You're the detective, Mako. You tell me."

Mako blinks. "...Korra?"

"Yeah. It's, uh, been a while, huh?"

"Couple of years, yeah." Mako slowly smiles. "You complete and utter _jerk_. How are you? _Where_ are you?"

"About that...you, uh, you got a couch you could spare by any chance?"

Mako shakes his head. "You're back? Seriously? And you want to crash with _me_? _Seriously_?"

"Is that...would you mind? Just for a few days, while I work out something longer term."

Mako looks around. His place is a mess, but that's something he's been meaning to deal with for a while now, anyway. And...it's Korra. Mako's job keeps him busy, but he still keeps in touch with most of his old friends. And like the rest of them, even if they never admit it, Mako has been wondering how she is. He smiles, shaking his head. At least this way he'll know _where_ she is for a while. "Uh, yeah. I guess. When are you thinking of coming by?"

"Uh...so...that sound you hear?"

"I don't hear any--"

Someone raps their knuckles tentatively against Mako's front door. In his ear, Korra says, "That's me knocking."

Mako blinks. He gets up and goes to his front door. He takes a breath and opens it.

Korra stands on his doorstep with a couple of battered bags at her feet and a sheepish smile on her face. "Hey, Mako. Surprise?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, folks! 
> 
> I don't have anything as ambitious as an update schedule for this, but I'll be fitting this one in where I can!
> 
> Please do leave a comment! Comments are delicious _and_ nutritious!


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